Publications
| Title | Abstract | Year(sorted ascending) Filter | PMID Filter |
|---|
| respiratory virus infection and risk of invasive meningococcal disease in central ontario, canada. | in temperate climates, invasive meningococcal disease (imd) incidence tends to coincide with or closely follow peak incidence of influenza virus infection; at a seasonal level, increased influenza activity frequently correlates with increased seasonal risk of imd. | 2010 | 21103353 |
| cystatin c reduction ratio depends on normalized blood liters processed and fluid removal during hemodialysis. | a negative correlation between the weekly standard kt/v (urea) and serum cystatin c level (cysc) in functionally anephric dialysis patients has been previously demonstrated. our objective was to measure the per dialysis cysc reduction ratio (ccrr) and to compare it with other indices of dialytic functions. | 2010 | 21115625 |
| escherichia coli and selected veterinary and zoonotic pathogens isolated from environmental sites in companion animal veterinary hospitals in southern ontario. | hospital-based infection control in veterinary medicine is emerging and the role of the environment in hospital-acquired infections (hai) in veterinary hospitals is largely unknown. this study was initiated to determine the recovery of escherichia coli and selected veterinary and zoonotic pathogens from the environments of 101 community veterinary hospitals. the proportion of hospitals with positive environmental swabs were: e. coli--92%, clostridium difficile--58%, methicillin-resistant staphyl ... | 2010 | 21119862 |
| antimicrobial resistance in generic escherichia coli isolates from wild small mammals living in swine farm, residential, landfill, and natural environments in southern ontario, canada. | to assess the impacts of different types of human activity on the development of resistant bacteria in the feces of wild small mammals, we compared the prevalences and patterns of antimicrobial resistance and resistance genes in generic escherichia coli and salmonella enterica isolates from fecal samples collected from wild small mammals living in four environments: swine farms, residential areas, landfills, and natural habitats. resistance to antimicrobials was observed in e. coli isolates from ... | 2010 | 21131524 |
| pneumomediastinum and subcutaneous emphysema associated with pandemic (h1n1) influenza in three children. | 2010 | 21135087 | |
| cytotoxic and proinflammatory effects of ambient and source-related particulate matter (pm) in relation to the production of reactive oxygen species (ros) and cytokine adsorption by particles. | the composition of airborne particulate matter (pm) varies widely depending on its source, and recent studies have suggested that particle-associated adverse health effects are related to particle composition. the objective of this study was to compare the biological/toxicological effects of different source-related pm. specifically, we investigated the biological/toxicological effects of standard reference materials (srms): non-ferrous dust (pd-1, industrial), urban pm (upm, srm1648a), and dies ... | 2010 | 21142797 |
| preliminary studies into the characterization of chemical markers of decomposition for geoforensics. | in this paper, we report the results of our preliminary studies into chemical characterization of the fluids produced during decomposition in the absence of a soil matrix. pig (sus domestica) carcasses were used to model the human decomposition process in two separate locations, western australia (perth) and canada (oshawa). analysis involved simple dilution and filtration of the decomposition fluids followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. several previously unreported compounds were d ... | 2010 | 20070470 |
| when a community hospital becomes an academic health centre. | with the burgeoning role of distributed medical education and the increasing use of community hospitals for training purposes, challenges arise for undergraduate and postgraduate programs expanding beyond traditional tertiary care models. it is of vital importance to encourage community hospitals and clinical faculty to embrace their roles in medical education for the 21st century. with no university hospitals in northern ontario, the northern ontario school of medicine and its educational partn ... | 2010 | 20070926 |
| functional comparison of hemoglobin purified by different methods and their biophysical implications. | hemoglobin (hb) that is purified from red blood cells (rbcs) is commonly subjected to harsh processing conditions, such as high temperatures and extensive column separation, which may damage the hb by altering the heme prosthetic group and/or the hb protein structure. in this study, bovine and human hb purified by tangential flow filtration (tff) was compared to commercial preparations of human hb (hemosol, inc., toronto, canada) and bovine hb (biopure, inc., cambridge, ma). purified hbs were ch ... | 2010 | 20073089 |
| trace elements in recent groundwater of an artesian flow system and comparison with snow: enrichments, depletions, and chemical evolution of the water. | snow samples collected from hand-dug pits at two sites in simcoe county, ontario, canada were analysed for major and trace elements using the clean lab methods established for polar ice. potentially toxic, chalcophile elements are highly enriched in snow, relative to their natural abundance in crustal rocks, with enrichment factor (ef) values (calculated using sc) in the range 107 to 1081 for ag, as, bi, cd, cu, mo, pb, sb, te, and zn. relative to m/sc ratios in snow, water samples collected at ... | 2010 | 20082015 |
| detection and characterization of clostridium difficile in retail chicken. | this study was designed to evaluate the prevalence of clostridium difficile contamination of retail chicken. | 2010 | 20102510 |
| school-based influenza vaccine delivery, vaccination rates, and healthcare use in the context of a universal influenza immunization program: an ecological study. | influenza vaccines are universally funded in ontario, canada. some public health units (phus) vaccinate children in schools. we examined the impact of school-based delivery on vaccination rates and healthcare use of the entire population over seven influenza seasons (2000-2007) using population-based survey and health administrative data. school-based vaccination was associated with higher vaccination rates in school-age children only. doctors' office visits were lower for phus with school-based ... | 2010 | 20109594 |
| an exploration of ruling relations and how they organize and regulate nursing education in the high-fidelity patient simulation laboratory. | recently, schools of nursing have adopted the use of high-fidelity human patient simulators in laboratory settings to teach nursing. although numerous articles document the benefits of teaching undergraduate nursing students in this way, little attention has been paid to the discourses and texts organizing this approach. this institutional ethnography uses the critical feminist sociology of dorothy e. smith to examine the literature and interviews with practical and bachelor of science in nursin ... | 2010 | 20137031 |
| palliating a pandemic: "all patients must be cared for". | in the event of an overwhelming influenza pandemic, many health care systems will implement a triage system that would potentially deny critical care treatment to some seriously ill patients. although all triage systems have guaranteed palliative care for those who are denied critical care, no jurisdiction has yet developed a plan to accommodate the anticipated "surge" in demand for palliative care. the authors present a mathematical and ethical justification for a palliative care surge plan and ... | 2010 | 20152591 |
| novel duplex real-time pcr assay detects bordetella holmesii in specimens from patients with pertussis-like symptoms in ontario, canada. | bordetella holmesii is a human pathogen found mainly in immunocompromised patients. a specific real-time pcr assay was developed and successfully used to identify specimens from which b. holmesii was misidentified as bordetella pertussis and to establish the prevalence of b. holmesii in ontario patients with pertussis-like symptoms. | 2010 | 20181919 |
| comparison of two heights for forward-placed trunk support with standing work. | two forward-placed supports with different heights are investigated using human motion capture and emg. ten male participants stood in 10 degrees increments of trunk flexion between 0 and 40 degrees for three conditions; leaning on a desk adjusted to the height of the pelvis, leaning on a prototype support at the height of the sternum and with no external support. low back and hip extensor muscle activity was reduced by an average 60% with leaning against the prototype compared to the no-support ... | 2010 | 20004362 |
| the pandemic influenza planning process in ontario acute care hospitals. | there will be little time to prepare when an influenza pandemic strikes; hospitals need to develop and test pandemic influenza plans beforehand. | 2010 | 20022406 |
| air pollution and pneumonia: the "old man" has a new "friend". | 2010 | 20026751 | |
| phase i/ii trial of metronomic chemotherapy with daily dalteparin and cyclophosphamide, twice-weekly methotrexate, and daily prednisone as therapy for metastatic breast cancer using vascular endothelial growth factor and soluble vascular endothelial growth factor receptor levels as markers of response. | purpose preclinical studies indicate that metronomic chemotherapy is antiangiogenic and synergistic with other antiangiogenic agents. we designed a phase i/ii study to evaluate the safety and activity of adding dalteparin and prednisone to metronomic cyclophosphamide and methotrexate in women with measurable metastatic breast cancer (mbc). patients and methods patients received daily dalteparin and oral cyclophosphamide, twice-weekly methotrexate, and daily prednisone (dalcmp). the primary study ... | 2010 | 20026801 |
| food reservoir for escherichia coli causing urinary tract infections. | closely related strains of escherichia coli have been shown to cause extraintestinal infections in unrelated persons. this study tests whether a food reservoir may exist for these e. coli. isolates from 3 sources over the same time period (2005-2007) and geographic area were compared. the sources comprised prospectively collected e. coli isolates from women with urinary tract infection (uti) (n = 353); retail meat (n = 417); and restaurant/ready-to-eat foods (n = 74). e. coli were evaluated for ... | 2010 | 20031048 |
| the mindsets of medical education leaders: how do they conceive of their work? | how a leader perceives his or her organization affects that individual's decision making and beliefs about the best way to influence it. the goal of this study was to understand how medical education leaders conceive of their work. | 2010 | 20042823 |
| estimated epidemiologic parameters and morbidity associated with pandemic h1n1 influenza. | in the face of an influenza pandemic, accurate estimates of epidemiologic parameters are required to help guide decision-making. we sought to estimate epidemiologic parameters for pandemic h1n1 influenza using data from initial reports of laboratory-confirmed cases. | 2010 | 19959592 |
| risk factors and outcomes among children admitted to hospital with pandemic h1n1 influenza. | limited data are available on disease characteristics and outcomes of children with 2009 pandemic influenza a(h1n1) virus infection (pandemic h1n1 influenza) who have required hospital admission. | 2010 | 19926677 |
| the transcription factor gata-2 does not associate with angiographic coronary artery disease in the ottawa heart genomics and cleveland clinic genebank studies. | the transcription factor gata2 was reported to associate with coronary artery disease (cad) in the family-based genecard sample (connelly et al. in plos genet 2:e139, 2006). we asked whether gata2 associates with sporadic cases of cad in the ottawa heart genomics study (ohgs) and cleveland clinic (cc) populations. we genotyped the lead single nucleotide polymorphism (snp) from genecard, rs2713604 which is located in intron 5-6 of gata2 in 600 cad cases and 625 controls, as well as a tag snp rs15 ... | 2010 | 19885677 |
| knowledge of zoonoses among those affiliated with the ontario swine industry: a questionnaire administered to selected producers, allied personnel, and veterinarians. | zoonoses are diseases caused by infectious agents that are transmitted from animals to humans. some zoonoses have been associated with the pig and pork industry. to ensure the safety of pigs and pork and to improve public health it is essential to understand the level of knowledge of those affiliated with the swine industry. the purpose of our study was to assess the knowledge of and attitude toward zoonotic and other microbial hazards among targeted groups of stakeholders associated with the on ... | 2010 | 19895261 |
| expression of a common lqt1 mutation in five apparently unrelated families in a regional inherited arrhythmia clinic. | the inherited arrhythmia clinic at the university of western ontario services a catchment area of 1.5 million people and follows families with inherited arrhythmia syndromes. | 2010 | 19817925 |
| association with replication between estrogen-related receptor gamma (esrrgamma) polymorphisms and bone phenotypes in women of european ancestry. | osteoporosis is a bone disease characterized by low bone mineral density (bmd), a highly heritable polygenic trait. women are more prone than men to develop osteoporosis owing to a lower peak bone mass and accelerated bone loss at menopause. lack of estrogen thus is a major risk factor for osteoporosis. in addition to having strong similarity to the estrogen receptor 1 (esr1), the orphan nuclear estrogen-related receptor gamma (esrrgamma) is widely expressed and shows overlap with esr1 expressio ... | 2010 | 19821770 |
| adaptation of colonic fermentation and glucagon-like peptide-1 secretion with increased wheat fibre intake for 1 year in hyperinsulinaemic human subjects. | high cereal fibre intake is associated with reduced risk for type 2 diabetes, but wheat fibre had little or no effect on glycaemic control or oral glucose tolerance in clinical trials lasting 4-12 weeks. to explain this discrepancy, we hypothesised that colonic adaptation to increased wheat fibre intake takes many months but eventually results in increased scfa production and glucagon-like peptide-1 (glp-1) secretion. thus, the primary objective was to determine the time-course of the effects of ... | 2010 | 19664300 |
| attitude and knowledge about genetics and genetic testing. | increasing numbers of health care users may be confronted with new genetic knowledge and discoveries that offer new types of medical decision-making. how people use these new insights and make decisions about genetic risk depends, at least in part, on their knowledge and attitudes about human genetics. | 2010 | 19451701 |
| estimating sediment quality thresholds to prevent restrictions on fish consumption: application to polychlorinated biphenyls and dioxins-furans in the canadian great lakes. | sediment quality thresholds (sqts) are used by a variety of agencies to assess the potential for adverse impact of sediment-associated contaminants on aquatic biota, typically benthic invertebrates. however, sedimentary contaminants can also result in elevated fish contaminant levels, triggering consumption advisories that are protective of humans. as such, sqts that would result in fish concentrations below consumption advisory levels should also be considered. to illustrate how this can be add ... | 2010 | 20872645 |
| automated mortality surveillance in south-eastern ontario for pandemic influenza preparedness. | the recent canadian experience with pandemic h1n1 (ph1n1) influenza in 2009 highlighted the need for enhanced surveillance at local and regional levels to support evidence-based decision making by physicians and public health. we describe the rationale, methodology, and provide preliminary findings from the implementation of an automated mortality surveillance system (mss) in the kingston, frontenac and lennox & addington (kfl&a) health unit. | 2010 | 21370781 |
| postgraduate specialty training in northeastern ontario and subsequent practice location. | physician specialists are under-represented in communities in northern ontario, even in larger communities of approximately 100 000 population. the positive association between postgraduate training in northern or rural areas and eventual practice in these locations has been well documented in the literature, but only for family medicine/general practice. few, if any, studies have explored the association for other specialties. the objective of this study was to determine if there was an associa ... | 2011 | 21381861 |
| "kids not rights, is their craving": sex education, gay rights, and the threat of gay teachers. | in july 1977, the ontario humans rights commission recommended adding sexual orientation to the code. this move was generally supported but toronto newspapers and evangelists sought assurances that school boards could still dismiss homosexual teachers. they demanded children be shielded from gay teachers, who they accused of sexual predation. i historically link this to a reenergized fear of homosexuals which emerged during toronto sex education debates in the 1970s. later, influenced by anita b ... | 2011 | 22214044 |
| spatiotemporal trends of mercury in walleye and largemouth bass from the laurentian great lakes region. | the risk of mercury (hg) exposure to humans and wildlife from fish consumption has driven extensive mercury analysis throughout the great lakes region since the 1970s. this study compiled fish-hg data from multiple sources in the region and assessed spatiotemporal trends of hg concentrations in two representative top predator fish species. walleye (sander vitreus) and largemouth bass (micropterus salmoides) were chosen for the trend analysis because they had more hg records (63,872) than other f ... | 2011 | 21706250 |
| enhancing effects of adjuvanted 2009 pandemic h1n1 influenza a vaccine on memory b-cell responses in hiv-infected individuals. | to assess the humoral immune response to low-dose as03-adjuvanted and standard-dose nonadjuvanted 2009 pandemic h1n1 influenza a vaccine in hiv-infected aviremic individuals receiving antiretroviral therapy and in uninfected individuals. | 2011 | 21157297 |
| immunohistochemical staining for smoothelin in the duplicated versus the true muscularis mucosae of barrett esophagus. | the muscularis mucosa underlying the metaplastic mucosa of barrett esophagus is frequently duplicated, with an intervening layer of lamina propria between the superficial or neomuscularis mucosa (nmm) and the deep/true muscularis mucosa (tmm). this duplication causes difficulties with accurate staging of superficially invasive carcinoma in biopsy specimens and endoscopic mucosal resections (emrs), as invasion underneath the superficial muscle layers may be mistaken for submucosal invasion. mucos ... | 2011 | 21164287 |
| a retrospective economic analysis of the ontario red fox oral rabies vaccination programme. | ontario initiated a red fox (vulpes vulpes) oral rabies vaccination (orv) programme in 1989. this study utilized a benefit-cost analysis to determine if this orv programme was economically worthwhile. between 1979 and 1989, prior to orv baiting, the average annual human post-exposure treatments, positive red fox rabies diagnostic tests and indemnity payments for livestock lost to rabies were 2248, 1861 and $246,809, respectively. after baiting, from 1990 to 2000, a 35%, 66% and 41% decrease in p ... | 2011 | 20819201 |
| cost-effectiveness of ontario's pandemic vaccine program. | 2011 | 20831912 | |
| prostate-specific antigen test result interpretation when combined with risk factors for recommendation of biopsy: a survey of urologist's practice patterns. | recent data have suggested historical cutoff levels for prostate cancer (pc) screening using a prostate-specific antigen (psa) level ≤ 4 ng/ml may no longer be appropriate with cancer detected at lower levels, particularly in younger men. our aim was to conduct a contemporary survey of urologist's practice patterns toward pc detection, specifically focusing on factors determining the decision to recommend ultrasound-guided biopsy (trus-bx). | 2011 | 20544283 |
| gallbladder disease in northwestern ontario: the case for canada's first rural ercp program. | the rate of cholecystectomy in northwestern ontario is double the provincial rate. this paper explores the demographics of cholecystectomy and the role for rural endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ercp) services in the central part of this region. | 2011 | 21453605 |
| regional effects on the mental health of immigrant children: results from the new canadian children and youth study (nccys). | children in immigrant families from hong kong, mainland china, and the philippines living in toronto and montreal are at higher risk of emotional problems than children in immigrant families in winnipeg, calgary, edmonton, and vancouver (beiser et al., 2010). the current publication explores human capital, social capital, institutional receptivity, and perceptions of welcome as explanations for regional disparities. parent's lack of linguistic fluency, and depressive symptoms provided the most l ... | 2011 | 21463966 |
| dispersal of mycobacterium tuberculosis via the canadian fur trade. | patterns of gene flow can have marked effects on the evolution of populations. to better understand the migration dynamics of mycobacterium tuberculosis, we studied genetic data from european m. tuberculosis lineages currently circulating in aboriginal and french canadian communities. a single m. tuberculosis lineage, characterized by the ds6(quebec) genomic deletion, is at highest frequency among aboriginal populations in ontario, saskatchewan, and alberta; this bacterial lineage is also domina ... | 2011 | 21464295 |
| use of letrozole challenge test to adjust gonadotropin dose in non-down-regulated cycles. | the use of a letrozole challenge test to predict ovarian response is described. the authors show that a ratio of cycle day 7 to cycle day 3 post-letrozole fsh level >1.5 is associated with poor ovarian response. | 2011 | 21481375 |
| does user-centred design affect the efficiency, usability and safety of cpoe order sets? | application of user-centred design principles to computerized provider order entry (cpoe) systems may improve task efficiency, usability or safety, but there is limited evaluative research of its impact on cpoe systems. | 2011 | 21486886 |
| assessing secondary attack rates among household contacts at the beginning of the influenza a (h1n1) pandemic in ontario, canada, april-june 2009: a prospective, observational study. | abstract: | 2011 | 21492445 |
| gotflu channel: an online syndromic surveillance tool supporting college health practice and public health work. | develop a tool to ease the burden of h1n1 influenza on a campus clinic by promoting self-care, generating medical notes, and identifying vulnerable students. | 2011 | 21500061 |
| beta-blockade restores muscle sympathetic rhythmicity in human heart failure. | background: muscle sympathetic nerve firing rate increases as chronic heart failure (chf) progresses, yet its oscillation, particularly within the frequency range encompassing 0.13hz, diminishes. the current study tested the hypothesis that chronic therapy with lipophilic β-adrenoceptor antagonists augments the modulation of muscle sympathetic nerve activity variability (msnav) at this frequency range. methods and results: in 21 chf angiotensin converting enzyme (ace) inhibitor-treated patients ... | 2011 | 21519151 |
| modelling sediment-microbial dynamics in the south nation river, ontario, canada: towards the prediction of aquatic and human health risk. | runoff from agricultural watersheds can carry a number of agricultural pollutants and pathogens; often associated with the sediment fraction. deposition of this sediment can impact water quality and the ecology of the river, and the re-suspension of such sediment can become sources of contamination for reaches downstream. in this paper a modelling framework to predict sediment and associated microbial erosion, transport and deposition is proposed for the south nation river, ontario, canada. the ... | 2011 | 21558043 |
| estimating background rates of guillain-barre syndrome in ontario in order to respond to safety concerns during pandemic h1n1/09 immunization campaign. | abstract: background: the province of ontario, canada initiated mass immunization clinics with adjuvanted pandemic h1n1 influenza vaccine in october 2009. due to the campaign's scale, temporal associations with guillain-barre syndrome (gbs) and vaccination were expected. the objectives of this analysis were to estimate the number of background gbs cases expected to occur in the projected vaccinated population and to estimate the number of additional gbs cases which would be expected if an associ ... | 2011 | 21586163 |
| nocturnal hemodialysis is associated with restoration of early-outgrowth endothelial progenitor-like cell function. | summary background and objectives angiogenesis is a key response to tissue ischemia that may be impaired by uremia. although early-outgrowth endothelial progenitor-like cells promote angiogenesis in the setting of normal renal function, cells from uremic patients are dysfunctional. when compared with conventional hemodialysis, it was hypothesized that nocturnal hemodialysis would improve the in vivo angiogenic activity of these cells in a well described model of ischemic vascular disease. design ... | 2011 | 21597025 |
| on-farm study of human contact networks to document potential pathways for avian influenza transmission between commercial poultry farms in ontario, canada. | human movements associated with poultry farming create contact networks that might facilitate transmission of avian influenza (ai) between farms during outbreaks. in canada, no information is available about how these networks connect poultry farms. the purpose of this study was to document human contacts between commercial poultry farms in ontario, canada, to learn how ai might be transmitted during outbreaks. we used face-to-face interviews with people entering the farm biosecurity perimeter o ... | 2011 | 21624106 |
| nursing inputs and outcomes of hospital care: an empirical analysis of ontario's acute-care hospitals. | the authors analyze the association between intensity of nursing care (as measured by nursing hours per patient day), hospital bed days, and patient outcomes in acute-care hospitals in the province of ontario, canada, to determine whether higher levels of nursing inputs are associated with shorter lengths of stay (los) and, if so, whether these shorter los are achieved at the expense of health outcomes. after controlling for supply of nurses, workload, community characteristics, and hospital typ ... | 2011 | 21661620 |
| human maternal and umbilical cord blood concentrations of polybrominated diphenyl ethers. | polybrominated diphenyl ethers (pbdes), widely used as flame retardants in commercial products, have become ubiquitous environmental contaminants. although adult human exposure to pbdes is well documented, developmental exposure is less well characterized. the objectives of this study were to measure maternal and fetal exposure to nine pbde congeners and to investigate potential associations with birth weight. pbde congeners were quantified in maternal serum at 24-28weeks of pregnancy, delivery, ... | 2011 | 21663933 |
| stakeholders' perceptions of programme sustainability: findings from a community-based fall prevention programme. | objectives: sustainability of health promotion and injury prevention programmes is a goal of practitioners and an increasingly common requirement of funding bodies. however, less is known about the views held by individual stakeholders involved in such programmes regarding their perceptions of facilitators and barriers to achieving sustainability. this paper aims to share the perceptions of programme sustainability held by key stakeholders involved in a community-based fall prevention programme ... | 2011 | 21802700 |
| evaluation of a clinical decision support tool for osteoporosis disease management: protocol for an interrupted time series design. | abstract: background: osteoporosis affects over 200 million people worldwide at a high cost to healthcare systems. although guidelines on assessing and managing osteoporosis are available, many patients are not receiving appropriate diagnostic testing or treatment. findings from a systematic review of osteoporosis interventions, a series of mixed-methods studies, and advice from experts in osteoporosis and human-factors engineering were used collectively to develop a multicomponent tool (targete ... | 2011 | 21781318 |
| h1n1 in pregnancy: a tertiary care centre experience. | objective: to elucidate factors pertinent to the course and outcome of h1n1 infection in pregnancy. methods: we conducted a retrospective chart review of h1n1-affected pregnant patients at mount sinai hospital in toronto, ontario. all women who tested positive for h1n1 from june 1, 2009, to december 5, 2009, were identified. records were reviewed to determine pregnancy status. information from clinic and hospital charts of pregnant patients was gathered using data collection forms previously app ... | 2011 | 21749745 |
| court of appeal reaffirms long-term income support for alcohol and drug dependence. | on 16 september 2010, the ontario court of appeal upheld a decision of the social benefits tribunal that found discriminatory the exclusion from long-term income support of people suffering from alcohol or drug dependency. | 2011 | 21688710 |
| unfractionated heparin for second trimester placental insufficiency: a pilot randomized trial. | summary.ôçé objective:ôçéto conduct a pilot randomized controlled trial of unfractionated heparin (ufh) in women considered at high risk of placental insufficiency in the second trimester. methods:ôçéwomen with either false-positive first trimester (pregnancy-associated placental protein-a [papp-a]ôçâ<ôçâ0.35ôçâmom) or second trimester (alpha-fetoprotein [afp]ôçâ>ôçâ2.0ôçâmom, inhibinôçâ>ôçâ3.0ôçâmom, human chorionic gonadotropinôçâ>ôçâ4.0ôçâmom) serum screening tests or medical/obstetric risk f ... | 2011 | 21689371 |
| detection and characterization of giardia duodenalis and cryptosporidium spp. on swine farms in ontario, canada. | abstract as part of the c-enternet surveillance program of the public health agency of canada, 122 pooled swine manure samples from 10 farms in ontario, canada were collected and tested for giardia and cryptosporidium. giardia duodenalis cysts and cryptosporidium spp. oocysts were detected using immunofluorescence microscopy. nested-polymerase chain reaction protocols were performed to amplify the small subunit rrna gene and the +¦-giardin gene for g. duodenalis, and the small subunit rrna gene ... | 2011 | 21675863 |
| diagnostic accuracy of cystatin c-based egfr equations at different gfr levels in children. | the diagnostic accuracy of cystatin c estimated gfr (egfr) by various cystatin c equations have varied in different studies. we hypothesized that the gfr level of enrolled patients affects the diagnostic accuracy of a cystatin c equation. | 2011 | 21700821 |
| validation of case-finding algorithms derived from administrative data for identifying adults living with human immunodeficiency virus infection. | we sought to validate a case-finding algorithm for human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) infection using administrative health databases in ontario, canada. | 2011 | 21738786 |
| factors associated with initiation and completion of the quadrivalent human papillomavirus vaccine series in an ontario cohort of grade 8 girls. | abstract: background: although over a hundred million dollars have been invested in offering free quadrivalent human papillomavirus (hpv) vaccination to young girls in ontario, there continues to be very little information about its usage. in order to successfully guide future hpv vaccine programming, it is important to monitor hpv vaccine use and determine factors associated with use in this population. methods: linking administrative health and immunization databases, we conducted a population ... | 2011 | 21838921 |
| nurse dose: linking staffing variables to adverse patient outcomes. | inconsistent findings in more than 100 studies have made it difficult to explain how variation in nurse staffing affects patient outcomes. nurse dose, defined as the level of nurses required to provide patient care in hospital settings, draws on variables used in staffing studies to describe the influence of many staffing variables on outcomes. | 2011 | 21691239 |
| developing a strategic human resources plan for the urban angel. | in healthcare a significant portion of the budget is related to human resources. however, many healthcare organizations have yet to develop and implement a focused organizational strategy that ensures all human resources are managed in a way that best supports the successful achievement of corporate strategies. | 2011 | 21841398 |
| blood donor ban upheld. | on 8 september 2010, the ontario superior court rejected a claim that canadian blood services (cbs) is violating section 15 of the canadian charter of rights and freedoms (charter) by refusing blood donations from men who have had sex with other men (msm) since 1977. the case arose because cbs sued kyle freeman, a gay man, for lying about his sexuality on the screening questionnaire in order to give blood. | 2011 | 21688712 |
| antimicrobial resistance in campylobacter, salmonella, and escherichia coli isolated from retail grain-fed veal meat from southern ontario, canada. | this study estimated the prevalence of salmonella, campylobacter, and escherichia coli isolates in fresh retail grain-fed veal obtained in ontario, canada. the prevalence and antimicrobial resistance patterns were examined for points of public health significance. veal samples (n = 528) were collected from february 2003 through may 2004. twenty-one salmonella isolates were recovered from 18 (4%) of 438 samples and underwent antimicrobial susceptibility testing. resistance to one or more antimicr ... | 2011 | 21819650 |
| Litigating for change: proceedings from the 3rd Symposium on HIV, Law and Human Rights. Introduction. | From 9-10 June 2011, the 3rd Symposium on HIV, Law and Human Rights took place in Toronto, drawing over 150 participants from across Canada. The event built on the success of the two previous Symposia and brought together policymakers, legal professionals, health researchers, students, activists, community organizations and people living with HIV or from communities particularly affected by HIV. | 2011 | 22165282 |
| Municipal bylaw to reduce cosmetic/non-essential pesticide use on household lawns - a policy implementation evaluation. | Pesticide use on urban lawns and gardens contributes to environmental contamination and human exposure. Municipal policies to restrict use and educate households on viable alternatives deserve study. We describe the development and implementation of a cosmetic/non-essential pesticide bylaw by a municipal health department in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and assess changes in resident practices associated with bylaw implementation. | 2011 | 21867501 |
| group a streptococcus emm gene types in pharyngeal isolates, ontario, canada, 2002-2010. | group a streptococcus (gas) is a human-adapted pathogen that causes a variety of diseases, including pharyngitis and invasive infections. gas strains are categorized by variation in the nucleotide sequence of the gene (emm) that encodes the m protein. to identify the emm types of gas strains causing pharyngitis in ontario, canada, we sequenced the hypervariable region of the emm gene in 4,635 pharyngeal gas isolates collected during 2002-2010. the most prevalent emm types varied little from year ... | 2011 | 22099088 |
| Digby Leigh. | Digby Leigh was a pioneer of Canadian pediatric anesthesia. He was an outstanding man - once met, never forgotten. My only contact with him was at the First Paediatric Anaesthesia Workshop at HSC in Toronto organized by Alan Conn in 1964. He chaired a panel with Jackson Rees from Liverpool and Bob Cope, a gentlemanly senior anesthetist at the Hospital for Sick Children, Great Ormond Street in London. The introduction was followed by 'We are all enemies,' a sure start for a vigorous debate. Digby ... | 2011 | 21917056 |
| Some bitter-sweet reflections on the Ottawa Charter commemoration cake: a personal discourse from an Ottawa rocker. | The Ottawa Charter both gave health promotion a solid framework and health promoters an identity. Yet, health promotion has far from reached its potential in being internalized in public health politics. Advocacy for health is one of the core missions for health promotion and the 25-year celebration of the Ottawa Charter offers a free ride, instead of being a missed opportunity. WHO has not met the expectations in taking advantage of the momentum and outcomes from the long series of global healt ... | 2011 | 22080070 |
| natural history of pandemic h1n1 2009 influenza infection in healthy pediatric outpatients. | the pandemic influenza h1n1 2009 (ph1n1) virus is expected to remain a prominent circulating strain in the current and subsequent influenza seasons. the objective of this study was to compare the clinical course of infection with laboratory-confirmed ph1n1 and seasonal influenza a and b in a cohort of previously healthy children managed in the outpatient setting without antiviral therapy. | 2011 | 21272826 |
| disinfection byproducts in canadian provinces: associated cancer risks and medical expenses. | chlorination for drinking water forms various disinfection byproducts (dbps). some dbps are probably linked to human cancer (e.g., bladder, colorectal cancers) and other chronic and sub-chronic effects. this emphasizes the need to understand and characterize dbps in drinking water and possible risks to human health. in this study, occurrences of dbps throughout canada were investigated. trihalomethanes (thms) were observed to be highest in manitoba followed by nova scotia and saskatchewan, while ... | 2011 | 21292392 |
| effectiveness of as03 adjuvanted pandemic h1n1 vaccine: case-control evaluation based on sentinel surveillance system in canada, autumn 2009. | to assess the effectiveness of the pandemic influenza a/h1n1 vaccine used in canada during autumn 2009. | 2011 | 21292718 |
| promoter methylation of wnt antagonists dkk1 and sfrp1 is associated with opposing tumor subtypes in two large populations of colorectal cancer patients. | aberrant activation of canonical wnt signaling is a hallmark event in colorectal carcinogenesis. the dickkopf-1 (dkk1) and secreted frizzled related protein 1 (sfrp1) genes encode extracellular inhibitors of wnt signaling that are frequently silenced by promoter hypermethylation in colorectal cancer (crc). these methylation events have been identified as prognostic markers of patient outcome and tumor subtype in several cancers but similar roles in crc have not been comprehensively examined. in ... | 2011 | 21304055 |
| knowledge-to-action processes in shrtn collaborative communities of practice: a study protocol. | 2011 | 21310083 | |
| predictors of pandemic influenza infection in adults presenting to two urban emergency departments, toronto, 2009. | identifying features that differentiate patients with h1n1 influenza infection from those with other conditions may assist clinical decision making during waves of pandemic influenza activity. | 2011 | 21324291 |
| emsy and ccnd1 amplification in familial breast cancer: from the ontario site of the breast cancer family registry. | emsy is a putative oncogene amplified in a minority of breast carcinomas, its protein product interacts with and transcriptionally silences brca2. we hypothesized that breast tumors from brca2 mutation carriers would be less likely than other familial breast cancers to exhibit emsy amplification. as emsy is located on 11q13 in proximity to ccnd1, an established breast cancer oncogene, we also examined the amplification of ccnd1 in the same tumor cohort. amplification of emsy and ccnd1 were exami ... | 2011 | 21327470 |
| genetic variation in the kiaa0319 5' region as a possible contributor to dyslexia. | reading disabilities (rd) have been linked and associated with markers on chromosome 6p with results from multiple independent samples pointing to kiaa0319 as a risk gene and specifically, the 5' region of this gene. here we focus genetic studies on a 2.3 kb region spanning the predicted promoter, the first untranslated exon, and part of the first intron, a region we identified as a region of open chromatin. using dna from probands with rd, we screened for genetic variants and tested select vari ... | 2011 | 21207242 |
| factors related to campylobacter spp. carriage in client-owned dogs visiting veterinary clinics in a region of ontario, canada. | summaryfrom july 2008 until may 2009, 240 client-owned pet dogs from seven veterinary clinics in the region of waterloo, ontario, canada participated in a study to determine pet-related management factors that may be associated with the presence of campylobacter spp. in dogs. the prevalence of campylobacter spp. carriage in our study population of pet dogs was 22%, with 19% of the dogs positive for c. upsaliensis, and 3% positive for c. jejuni. a significant risk factor from multivariable logist ... | 2011 | 21208515 |
| analytical and clinical validation of novel real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction assays for the clinical detection of swine-origin h1n1 influenza viruses. | during the early stages of the 2009/2010 swine-origin h1n1 influenza a (s-oiv h1n1 flua) outbreak, the development and validation of sensitive and specific detection methods were a priority for rapid and accurate diagnosis. between may and june 2009, 2 real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (rrt-pcr) assays targeting the hemagglutinin and neuraminidase genes of the s-oiv h1n1 flua virus were developed. these assays are highly specific, showing no cross-reactivity against a pan ... | 2011 | 21251560 |
| source, concentration, and distribution of elemental mercury in the atmosphere in toronto, canada. | atmospheric gaseous elemental mercury [gem] at 1.8, 4, and 59 m above ground, in parking lots, and in indoor and outdoor air was measured in toronto city, canada from may 2008-july 2009. the average gem value at 1.8 m was 1.89 ± 0.62 ng m(-3). the gem values increased with elevation. the average gem in underground parking lots ranged from 1.37 to 7.86 ng m(-3) and was higher than those observed from the surface parking lots. the gem in the indoor air ranged from 1.21 to 28.50 ng m(-3), was highe ... | 2011 | 21251742 |
| neuraminidase-inhibitor resistance testing for pandemic influenza a (h1n1) 2009 in ontario, canada. | oseltamivir resistance-associated h275y mutation in the neuraminidase (na) gene of pandemic influenza a (h1n1) 2009 was occasionally reported worldwide during the 2009-2010 influenza season. a significant proportion of those were found in immunocompromised or severely ill persons. this phenomenon remains infrequent and clear recommendations for resistance testing are lacking. | 2011 | 21251873 |
| dietary exposure of pbdes resulting from a subsistence diet in three first nation communities in the james bay region of canada. | concerns regarding the persistence, bioaccumulation, long-range transport, and adverse health effects of polybrominated dipheyl ethers (pbdes) have recently come to light. pbdes may potentially be of concern to indigenous (first nations) people of canada who subsist on traditional foods, but there is a paucity of information on this topic. | 2011 | 21255843 |
| The sound of spiritual care: music interventions in a palliative care setting. | The article describes how music has been integrated into spiritual and supportive care for palliative care patients at Brantford General Hospital (Ontario). Numerous case examples illustrate how a song or piece of music can play a vital role in the spiritual dimension of end of life care. The article expands the concept of the "living human document" by positing that a life story has an accompanying soundtrack: a musical memory and sensorial attunement that can be energized when music is offered ... | 2011 | 21919326 |
| Health Care Access and Support for Disabled Women in Canada: Falling Short of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: A Qualitative Study. | PURPOSE: The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and other international human rights conventions guarantee the fundamental human rights to physical, social, and psychological health. The purpose of this study was to examine whether these rights are being upheld in Canada for disabled women. METHODS: An interpretive, qualitative, focus group design was employed. Participants were women 18 to 67 years of age with a self-identified physical, sensory, cognitive, and ... | 2011 | 21968028 |
| the effects of regional angling effort, angler behavior, and harvesting efficiency on landscape patterns of overfishing. | we used a coupled social-ecological model to study the landscape-scale patterns emerging from a mobile population of anglers exploiting a spatially structured walleye (sander vitreus) fishery. we systematically examined how variations in angler behaviors (i.e., relative importance of walleye catch rate in guiding fishing site choices), harvesting efficiency (as implied by varying degrees of inverse density-dependent catchability of walleye), and angler population size affected the depletion of w ... | 2011 | 22073644 |
| Case series of fertility treatment in HIV-discordant couples (male positive, female negative): the Ontario experience. | The success of combination antiretroviral therapies for the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has resulted in prolonged life expectancy (over 40 years from diagnosis) and an improved quality of life for people living with HIV. The risk of vertical HIV transmission during pregnancy has been reduced to less than 1%. As a result of these breakthroughs and as many of these individuals are of reproductive age, fertility issues are becoming increasingly important for this population. One ... | 2011 | 21969863 |
| using a genetic network to parameterize a landscape resistance surface for fishers, martes pennanti. | knowledge of dispersal-related gene flow is important for addressing many basic and applied questions in ecology and evolution. we used landscape genetics to understand the recovery of a recently expanded population of fishers (martes pennanti) in ontario, canada. an important focus of landscape genetics is modelling the effects of landscape features on gene flow. most often resistance surfaces in landscape genetic studies are built a priori based upon nongenetic field data or expert opinion. th ... | 2011 | 21883589 |
| selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and pulmonary arterial hypertension: a case-control study. | abstract background: animal and human studies suggest that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (ssris) might be useful for the prevention or treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension. methods: we conducted a population-based, nested case-control study to explore the hypothesis that ssris might reduce the risk of pulmonary arterial hypertension. cases were individuals who developed pulmonary arterial hypertension requiring pharmacological treatment. for each case, we selected up to 10 matc ... | 2011 | 21852294 |
| recent workshops of the hupo human plasma proteome project (hppp): a bridge with the hupo cardiovascular initiative and the emergence of srm targeted proteomics. | we hereby provide a two-year update on the hupo human plasma proteome project (hppp) informed by advances presented at the hppp sessions at the hupo world congresses in toronto in september 2009 and in sydney in september 2010. | 2011 | 21850651 |
| government bodies and their influence on the 2009 h1n1 health sector pandemic response in remote and isolated first nation communities of sub-arctic ontario, canada. | first nation communities were highly impacted by the 2009 h1n1 influenza pandemic. multiple government bodies (ie federal, provincial, and first nations) in canada share responsibility for the health sector pandemic response in remote and isolated first nation communities and this may have resulted in a fragmented pandemic response. this study aimed to discover if and how the dichotomy (or trichotomy) of involved government bodies led to barriers faced and opportunities for improvement during th ... | 2011 | 21863907 |
| infectious milk: issues of pathogenic certainty within ideational regimes and their biopolitical implications. | throughout the 19(th) century and early decades of the 20(th) century, milk was a dangerous food that required state intervention to make it safe. throughout this period, the germ theory of contagious disease came to prominence, but could not explicitly determine the causal relationships linking germs, milk, and human illness. using the notion of an ideational regime, i examine how (1) knowledge claims move from uncertainty to certainty and become privileged claims within ideational regimes that ... | 2011 | 22035726 |
| awareness of, usage of and willingness to use hiv pre-exposure prophylaxis among men in downtown toronto, canada. | pre-exposure prophylaxis (prep) is a promising strategy whereby hiv-uninfected people could take antiretroviral (arv) medications to reduce their risk of hiv acquisition. reports suggest that unsupervised prep use has been occurring in gay communities of usa cities before human safety and efficacy data became available. we administered a 20-item questionnaire to men undergoing hiv testing at hassle free clinic, a sexual health clinic in the gay village of toronto. questionnaire items enquired ab ... | 2011 | 22174057 |
| The 2009 H1N1 pandemic response in remote First Nation communities of Subarctic Ontario: barriers and improvements from a health care services perspective. | Objectives. To retrospectively examine the barriers faced and opportunities for improvement during the 2009 H1N1 pandemic response experienced by participants responsible for the delivery of health care services in 3 remote and isolated Subarctic First Nation communities of northern Ontario, Canada. Study design. A qualitative community-based participatory approach. Methods. Semi-directed interviews were conducted with adult key informants (n=13) using purposive sampling of participants represen ... | 2011 | 22030007 |
| From theory to practice: a Canadian case study of the utility of climate change adaptation frameworks to address health impacts. | OBJECTIVE: It is now recognized that climate change affects human health. The question is how to adapt. This article examines mainstreaming climate considerations into public health programs and the utility of climate change and health adaptation frameworks, using Ontario, Canada, as a case study. METHODS: A literature review identified climate change and health adaptation frameworks for comparison with the Ontario Public Health Standards. Key informant interviews gauged the extent to which clim ... | 2011 | 21931977 |
| exposure to client aggression and burnout among community staff who support adults with intellectual disabilities in ontario, canada. | background studies have shown that staff who support adults with intellectual disabilities (id) are exposed to challenging behaviour in their work including client aggression. exposure to aggressive behaviour has been associated with staff stress and burnout. study samples have been small however, and there has been very little data exploring this issue among north american staff. methods a cross-sectional survey which included demographics, measures of frequency and severity (including percei ... | 2011 | 21988339 |
| Self-reported pH1N1 influenza vaccination coverage for Ontario. | BACKGROUND: In the fall of 2009, Canada undertook a mass vaccination campaign against pH1N1. This report provides an overview of self-reported pH1N1 vaccination coverage of the Ontario population, building on an existing random digit-dialling telephone survey, in which 9,010 Ontario adults participated. Based on the results, 34.5% of Ontario residents were vaccinated: 33.3% of adults aged 18 or older and 38.6% of children and adolescents younger than age 18. Respondents reporting high-risk chron ... | 2011 | 22106787 |
| automatic detection of the onset of nursing activities using accelerometers and adaptive segmentation. | we used the recursive least squares algorithm and a predictor filter to automatically identify the start and stop times of 6 simple nursing activities. the dataset included continuous acceleration recordings obtained with a single accelerometer sensor attached to the backs of 8 nurses. the algorithm requires no training. it identifies the start and stop time of each activity when at least 2 of 3 axes show significant acceleration changes not more than a second apart. the overall accuracy of the ... | 2011 | 22027151 |
| "Time is brain": only in the acute phase of stroke? | INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: In Spain, stroke is the leading cause of death in women as well as the leading cause of disability in adults. This translates into a huge human and economic cost. In recent years there have been significant advances both in the treatment of acute stroke and in the neuro-rehabilitation process; however, it is still unclear when the best time is to initiate neurorehabilitation and what the consequences of delaying treatment are. To test the effect of a single day delay ... | 2011 | 21890240 |